Have you asked your self this question and not found answers that suit you? With all the information available on the internet, how do you know what muscles you are working and what are their benefits? Most importantly, are they safe for you?
We are here to help you through this troubled period. Where too much or too little information can be dangerous and detrimental to your physical well being.
Firstly, to answer your question- YES! we can work the whole body both Anterior (Front) and Posterior (Back) with absolutely no equipment within your homes.
Let’s go through a detailed list of 3 exercises explaining execution, key points and which muscles are being worked:
1). Abdomen & Hip Flexors (Click for Video)
+ 
The abdomen is made up of just not a few muscles. However, is a very complex set of muscles like most other parts of the body. Having strong abdominal muscles not only protects your spine, overall posture as we know but most importantly can reduce energy wastage for unnecessary overcompensation from other muscles.
The Abdominal muscles work very closely in a systematic unit with the hip flexors muscles of the hip. While walking for eg., we go from several stints of losing balance and gaining balance while the abdominal muscles work simultaneously with our hip muscles to keep us stable and land the next step without falling over. Hence, the Dead Bug is a perfectly formulated exercise to mimic our walking movements while having complete control over the ab muscles.
Key points for exercise execution:
-Keep lower back pressed into the ground throughout the movement. If your lower back comes off the ground, you are tired and have lost control. So rest!! and start again!!
-Alternate hands and legs while performing the movement to mimic walking mostions and increase coordination while having complete control over the abdominal muscles. Hence improving balance!!
2). Glutes (Click for Video)
Probably the most underrated part of the human body and the most efficient muscle for spine, hip and knee health!!
Glutes are muscles of the bum. Stong glutes correlate to a stable back, efficient hip function, a strong abdomen (very unlikely if you train the glutes properly, will you have a weak abdominal area) and stable knees (Who doesn’t want strong, stable and healthy knees?).
The Glute Bridge is a perfectly designed and directed exercise targeted to strengthen the glute and abdominal muscles (“CORE”) when executed properly. There are advanced progressions like the Single Leg Hip Thrust you can progress to once you have mastered the Glute Bridge.
Key Points for exercise execution:
– Just like the dead bugs, the lower back should be pressed into the ground before lifting hips off the ground.
– Big contraction of the glutes (bum muscles) at the top for 2-3 seconds without arching the back. Return to start point.
– Abdomen and Glutes should be simultaneously contracted throughout the whole movement.
3). Quadriceps and Glutes (Click for Video)
The Quadriceps (thigh muscles) are one of the few largest muscles of the body. A study by Bouchard, Heroux & Janssen, 2011 determined that leg strength was the most important factor when it came to physical function and mortality. It is as simple as, if we lack strength in our lower body, we will prefer to be seated and sedentary rather than sit, stand and walk about more often. Thus, reducing movement and activity.
The Box/Bench Squat is a simple and effective exercise you can perform anywhere in your household. It could be as simple as sitting and standing from your couch. If the double legged variation is too easy, progress to the Single-leg variation which will challenge your strength and also balance.
Key Points for exercise execution:
– Focus on keeping your chest and shoulders square. Avoid bringing chest towards knees before initiating the movement.
– Push through the heels and stand up clenching the abdominal and glute muscles when you complete the motion.
– Reverse the movement focusing on a 5 count while descending to the seat/Box.
There you go. 3 simple, effective and comprehensive exercises you can do at home completely equipment free.
Now, if you do find these variations to easy or need any specialized program tailored to your needs, we continue to provide our services in these absurd times. Do visit our FitforLife Website for more details.
We continue to update our YouTube channel with programs each week that you can follow t home. Make sure you give it a visit and hit that subscribe button to get all the latest updates and new programs updated weekly.
Stay tuned for PART 2 of this blog for the remaining of The Home-based guide to whole-body strength training.
Stay home, Stay Safe and most importantly, STAY FIT FOR LIFE!
Best Regards,
Roy Dsouza 🙂
Sports Trainer (YouTube channel)